


Honesty.

by lugubrious



Category: The Ingo Chronicles - Helen Dunmore
Genre: F/F, Fluff, honestly. i dont know what this is. an unedited mess. but i was having emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 18:14:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6764686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lugubrious/pseuds/lugubrious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sapphire and Rainbow's relationship over time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Honesty.

**Author's Note:**

> second ingo fic ever. have fun with this, i enjoyed writing it. i hope the characterisation is ok. comments sustain my heartless body btw so just keep that in mind.

There’s something of the sea in Sapphire Trewhella’s face from the very first time Rainbow sees her. She’s standing on the beach, looking out to the roiling waves. Her hair twists and crackles, she’s wearing jeans and a jumper but for all that she looks –

Well she looks –

“Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” Rainbow was told as a child she was too blunt. She spoke her mind. It was an unattractive quality. She never settles for anything less.

“Sapphire.”

-

Sapphire is quiet, or she’s loud. She’s smiling or she’s not. There is little of in between, Rainbow notices, when it comes to Sapphire Trewhella. She can appreciate that. It comes with a kind of honesty, at least an honesty in who you are if not in what you say. And Sapphire is the most ‘her own person’ person Rainbow has ever met.

She has her skin and she’s growing up into it, not running away from it like every other teenager Rainbow sees these days.

Rainbow thinks she might be a little bit in love.

-

When the flood comes, it’s like every dream that Rainbow ever had that left her twitching, awake and breathless with fear. It’ll fill the house, she knows, from top to bottom because they live so close to the shoreline.

Vaguely, sitting with her back against the wall of Sapphire’s loft, she realizes that Patrick’s surfboard, the one he saved up for, will probably be swept away. Sapphire is sitting with Sadie in her lap, gazing out at the slow swelling of the water.

There’s no sound except for a gentle slap, a soft swish of water against the buildings. Sapphire glances over at Rainbow. They make eye contact. Sapphire says,

“If you want, you can come over here and pat Sadie with me.”

Rainbow moves over to sit beside Sapphire. Their arms are pressed together, she leans over and cards her fingers through Sadie’s soft coat. She thinks, this isn’t so bad.

-

The sea is a terrifying entity. A mass of unknown, unsure territory that expands across the entire planet. Ever since she was seven years old and she watched the documentary on deep sea creatures and she saw what was lurking down there –

It’s her only fear, and she owns it like she owns everything else about herself (like she’s trying to own everything else about herself, she’s trying). She doesn’t want to pretend otherwise. They go to the beach together, Sapphire and Rainbow, to walk the dogs. It’s windy, but it wouldn’t be Cornwall if it wasn’t.

“You’re going on this journey?”

Sapphire nods. Today is a quiet day. She says, “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

“Are you scared?”

“Yes.”

Rainbow nods. She wonders what would happen if she reached out and took Sapphire’s hand. She doesn’t.

-

Sapphire is gone for two weeks. It’s a lot less than Rainbow expected. She opens the door one morning and Sapphire is there, poised to knock. Before she can say anything, or think anything, Sapphire is reaching forward to hug her.

Rainbow – inexplicably – is unable to breath. Sapphire’s dark hair is tangled as always, and she looks tired, but she seems –

She isn’t growing into her skin anymore, she’s grown into it and she’s perfectly comfortable with what she found. Rainbow wants to kiss her. She doesn’t.

“How was it?”

Sapphire shrugs. She isn’t smiling. Rainbow frowns.

“Was it bad?”

Sapphire speaks quickly. “I don’t like lying to you.”

Rainbow raises an eyebrow. “So don’t.”

“You’re not going to believe me.”

“How can you know that?”

-

Rainbow’s never been to visit Granny Carne before. She picks her way up the hill to the stone cottage Sapphire described to her. The door is wooden, polished and dark. She taps on it with her knuckles. There’s a gentle buzzing that permeates the air and everything smells like hot grass.

Granny Carne opens the door. She looks down at Rainbow, unsurprised.

“So you found out, did you?”

Rainbow follows her inside. On the rough table are two mugs of tea and a thick slice of banana bread. Rainbow doesn’t ask how Granny Carne knew she was coming, she just sits down and takes a bite of the bread. It’s amazing.

Granny Carne blows on her tea, and sets the cup down. “Our girl Sapphire finally told. How’d you take it?”

_You what?_

_Sapphire bites her lip.  We were underwater the entire time. I can’t tell you exactly where we were, or why we were down there, that would be breaking the trust of the mer. But that’s what we were doing. Crossing the ocean._

_There’s a pause. Sapphire leans a little closer, looking serious. Do you believe me?_

_Rainbow breathes in. She breathes out. She says, yes._

“Pretty well,” says Rainbow, and Granny Carne smiles.

“What did you think of it?”

“Well.” Rainbow has a sip of tea. “It’s amazing. I would be jealous that she can breathe underwater, except I’d rather be able to fly, you know?”

“And now that Sapphire has told you all her truths, when are you going to stop lying and tell her yours?”

Rainbow chokes on her tea. Granny Carne sits back in her chair, expression unreadable.

“I’ll tell her…” Rainbow looks straight at Granny Carne. “Do you know what happens when I do? Can you see it?”

“Do you think I would be able to tell you what happens either way?”

Rainbow frowns. “Don’t people come here for advice, not riddles?”

Granny Carne’s laugh cracks across the room. “A smart young thing like you, you’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks for the banana bread,” says Rainbow.

-

Sapphire opens the door looking creased and soft with sleep. It’s past ten on a Saturday morning, though, so Rainbow feels as though she isn’t too early.

“Can I come in? I have to talk to you.”

Sapphire nods, yawning, and ushers Rainbow in. Conor is sitting at the table, nodding off over a bowl of cornflakes.

“Morning, sleepy.”

“Morning,” he mumbles, giving Rainbow a sluggish wave. Sapphire rolls her eyes.

“Con, your duvet.”

“I’ll wash it later.” He tweaks the edge so it wraps a little firmer around his shoulders. “The floor isn’t that dirty, Saph.”

“Sadie’s been for her morning walk.”

Conor shrugs, unconcerned, and Sapphire shoots Rainbow a look. They walk over to the stairs that lead up to Sapphire’s bedroom and climb up. In Sapphire’s room, the window is wide open. Everything smells faintly of salt.

“Have you ever seen the little mermaid?”

Sapphire laughs. “Yep. It’s nothing like that, I can tell you.”

“Figures.” Rainnbow perches on Sapphire’s desk chair, Sapphire sits cross legged on the bed.

“So,” says Sapphire, prompting.

“Right.” Rainbow breathes in, deeply. “So. I like you. In a romantic way.”

“Oh,” says Sapphire.

“And I was wondering if you would want to go on a date with me. Sometime.”

“Oh.”

“Also, I’ve thought about it, and if you sometimes grow a tail that doesn’t change how I feel. But it was a tense few days.”

“I don’t grow a tail,” says Sapphire. Her eyes are very bright. “But. I would like to go on a date with you.”

Rainbow feels something in her chest give as her heart swells – swells – swells –

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” Sapphire smiles, looking suddenly shy. “What kind of person would say yes as a joke?”

“A real idiot kind of person.”

“I think I’m my own brand of idiot.”

Rainbow shifts over to the bed, so she’s sitting beside Sapphire. She takes her hand. “Me too,” she says.


End file.
